1. Field of the Invention
With reference to the classification of art as established in and by the United States Patent Office, this invention is believed to be found in the class entitled, "Wireworking" (Class 140) and in the subclass entitled, "applying wire" (subclass 93R) and more particularly to the subclass thereunder entitled, "bailattaching" (subclass 93B).
2. Description of the Prior Art
The attaching of wire bails to pails or containers, either metal (steel sheet) or plastic, has been the subject of many commercial endeavors. Many of these concepts have achieved commercial use and among the most successful is the concept of Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 3,241,578 as issued Mar. 22, 1966. This patent, to the extent applicable, is incorporated by reference into the present application. This apparatus, in both one and five gallon pail machines, has been sold for use in more than five hundred installations. Assuming at least forty bails per minute for at least fifty hours per week and fifty weeks per year, each machine provides and attaches bails in the several million units per year. In the almost twenty years since the first introduction of this patent apparatus the paint industry has introduced and manufactures a large portion of water based paints. Sheet steel containers are less than satisfactory for storage of such water based paint. Plastic is now used for this paint and mounting of wire bails automatically on these molded pails without effecting a puncture of the side walls of the container must be considered.
The Applicant has made many improvements to the above-identified U.S. patent but these have been directed to inserting wire bails into ears having a preformed aperture and attached ear. A pail or container of plastic with a molded-on-ear present problems if an aperture is to be formed in this ear. Many metal containers also present problems in that the ear forming and the apertures therein are less than commercially acceptable as to positioning limits. These less-than-acceptable ears have caused the jamming of bail applying apparatus as the ends of the bails are often not inserted into the provided apertures. The present invention overcomes these problems.
Curling dies that are used to cause the end of the wire bails to be formed into a loop are shown in the patent above referenced. These dies and others known to the Applicant are contemplated to be used with ears in which an aperture is already formed and present. The inserting of bails with a loop at the end of the bail and with the end within the ear and also causing the formed bail end to make or provide the aperture in the ear has not been shown in prior art devices. The present apparatus and method contemplate moving the end of the bail as it is being formed and guided so as to make and provide an aperture in the ear of either a plastic pail or a metal container having sheet metal ears.